


Jay's Deli

by thepinkunicorn



Category: Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Jay has tattoos, Klipspringer is a BAMF, M/M, Nick is smitten
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-01-18
Packaged: 2018-01-09 03:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1140819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepinkunicorn/pseuds/thepinkunicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Nick walks into a restaurant one day for lunch, he doesn't realize that he's going to meet the hottest bartender who ever lived. And that bartender may just be flirting with him.</p><p>In which Jay is an owner of a deli, Nick is an insurance salesman, and somehow they both end up together? A modern twist of Gatsby where Daisy doesn't exist and Jay is totally gay for Nick.</p><p>I'm sorry I suck at summaries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jay's Deli

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer.

Nick didn’t know how he had ended up in such a high-class restaurant for his lunch break. Normally he would have just eaten at Lulu’s Bistro – a cheap eatery that was close to his apartment that had really good food and a nice, friendly atmosphere. Not to mention a pretty blonde waitress who always asked him how his day was and if she could get him more coffee, thanks.

He couldn’t afford the food here – not if he wanted to eat anything for the next two weeks. But he had no other options. He had been late leaving the office that day, and was walking along 72nd street when he realized that he only had twenty minutes to eat, and Lulu’s was a ten-minute walk away, at least.

He would have taken a cab if it hadn’t been for the fact that it was rush hour, and he could have walked faster to Lulu’s. Not to mention he was absolutely starving, and he didn’t have the patience to wait much longer to eat something.

He had glanced around the street, looking for somewhere to quell his rumbling stomach, when he saw it.

The sign for Jay’s Deli.

The large lettering sat atop a picture of a very appetizing-looking sandwich garnished with a thinly cut pickle, and not only did it have Nick salivating in longing, but it had him almost sprinting to the door.

As soon as he had walked through the door, however, he realized his mistake. The décor was a lot more decorative and detailed than a normal deli. The restaurant was two floors, it seemed, with a towering ceiling covered in painted cherubs lying among the clouds of the heavens. The beautifully wrought what looked like mahogany tables and chairs were decked in maroon cloth. Nick had to gasp as he took in the scenery around him. He could see a balcony full of people above him. Everyone was extremely well-dressed: the men in beautifully-cut three-piece suits and the women in long flowery cocktail dresses.

Nick didn’t even know places like this still existed.

He wanted to turn around and leave, eat somewhere cheaper, somewhere he could afford and could eat without feeling ashamed of himself. But he knew he didn’t have time, and the aroma of sizzling bacon propelled him forward to the bar, behind which stood an attractive blonde man, cleaning glasses. The blonde smiled at him as he sat down, and Nick could feel himself blush.

“Can I help you, old sport?” the blonde asked, his posh accent evident by the way he over-pronounced his vowels.

Nick’s stomach answered with a loud growl, and he grimaced, but the blonde man just chuckled.

“Food then,” he said as he handed Nick a menu, and Nick could see tendrils of a tattoo peek out from where his shirt slid up his arm.

Nick knew before he even looked at the menu that everything would be way more expensive than he could afford, but even so, he couldn’t help but gawk as he saw the prices of a cheeseburger.

The bartender glanced up at him, a bemused expression on his face. “Is something wrong?”

Nick sighed. He might as well tell the man. “Sort of. To tell you the truth, I can’t really afford to eat here, but I was late leaving my office today and this is the only place close enough to get something quickly so I can get back in time.”

Nick expected the man to scoff at him, and tell him to get out, but instead, he just smiled, leaned forward, and pointed at something on the menu.

“That’s our special today, which means it’s half off. Plus, I can guarantee you’ll love it, because it’s my own creation,” the man winked, causing Nick to forget how to breathe for a few moments.

Nick glanced down at the menu again. While the sandwich the blonde was pointing out was still out of his price range, even with the decreased price, it was still cheaper and something he could afford if he ate ramen for dinner for the next week. He smiled and nodded. “I’ll have that. Thanks.”

The bartender grinned before taking Nick’s menu back. He turned around to yell something through a door next to the bar, and when he turned back, he was holding a glass and a decanter full of what Nick assumed was scotch.

When he went to place the glass in front of Nick and pour some of the amber liquid inside, Nick tried to protest, but the blonde man would not have it.

“It’s on the house,” he winked.

Nick could feel his face burning.

Was this guy… flirting with him? It seemed highly improbable, but even so… Nick picked up the glass, and slowly took a small sip. The liquid slid down his throat with a slight burning sensation.

A few minutes later found Nick feeling slightly woozy, and the arrival of his food by a tall, thin man with large black hair and an aura of sex appeal. The glasses that he wore just added to the effect.

Were all the wait staff this good looking?

As soon as the plate of steaming food was placed in front of him, he shoved a bite of it into his mouth, and immediately died and went to heaven. That was the only explanation because there was no way anything on Earth could taste that delicious.

He moaned involuntarily as he chewed and swallowed the best mouthful of BLT he had ever experienced.

The man with the glasses and a name tag that read “Klipspringer” chuckled, and smiled at him. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Nick nodded enthusiastically as he took another bite. “Ish like ‘eaven,” he murmured between bits of tomato.

Jay chuckled as he poured Nick more scotch. “I’m glad you like it, old sport.”

Nick responded by taking another huge mouthful of the sandwich.

After what seemed like a couple hours, Nick was still sitting at the counter, sipping on his umpteenth glass of scotch, laughing at a story about Klipspringer and a walk-in freezer when he noticed the time.

He was _forty-five_ minutes late to work.

He gasped, and jolted upright, grabbing his phone and searching through his pockets for the correct number of bills.

“What’s wrong, old sport?” the blonde asked, looking at Nick with concern.

“I’m late to work!” he exclaimed, as he continued to rifle through his pockets frantically. His boss was going to kill him.

The man waved at him, “Just go, old sport.”

Nick paused, gaping at the blonde-haired bartender,“But I have to pay you!”

“It’s on the house,” he said, gesturing him out the door. “Go.”

Nick wanted to protest. He wanted to do more. He wanted to pay the man for his food, at least. But with one last glance at the clock - where had the time _gone_? - he thanked the blonde and ran out the door.


End file.
